Lyrics Of The Week: July 5-11

For their latest collaboration (which is presumably a Born Sinner leftover), J. Cole and Wale spit extensive verses over a Jake One instrumental, and their words were by far the most popular of the week. Although they both undoubtedly went in on the track, lyrically speaking, there's nothing particularly remarkable here. It is what it is. Thoughts?

Read excerpts from their verses below, and let us know what you think.

[Verse 1: J. Cole]

Built it from the ground up, no hit singlesJust a lot of fuckin' gifts, nigga, no Kris Kringle... Cole I'm the reason that your old bitch singleGave her dick, made her whole shit tingle, ya wan' feel me?Born Sinner, doubt this diamond chain gon' heal meLord let me kill the game and pray the game don't kill meMulti before I die, bitch, believe thatThese rappers rich as fuck but don't know where they seeds at

[Verse 2: Wale]

I maneuver the industry, few is against me, I rideWith shooters but truthfully, tryna get loot out of Disney, I'm highI'm trippin', I'm fried, forgive me, that's right, you with meA cold world if I ain't slide by your chimney, we giftedTryna distribute what Allah has given me, listenBut some of the bars are synagogues to a godless opinionDig it - in layman's termsMan these lames can't contain these words

Not even Wiz's giggling ad-libs and geeked-out stoner approach can detract from the threatening, violent tone of this new track from Juicy J. With sombre production from Crazy Mike and Juicy himself, it recalls the early Three 6 Mafia days, with Juicy remorselessly comparing the act of shooting up his adversaries to serious intravenous drug addiction. It's unsettling, to say the least - as is the fact that it was the second-most popular track of the week.

How'd it affect you?

[Hook: Juicy J]I'm shootin' shit up like a dope fiendPut a hole in your head like a dolphinI'm puttin' holes in one, no golfin'Leave his ass dead - where's the coffin?

[Verse 3: Juicy J]Shootin' on site, nigga, try me if you wannaClick-click, bang-bang - nigga, you a gonnaBullet don't hit ya, it'll put you in a comaLoud mouth niggas - now you a donerWhole pint of purp and a lot of marijuanaChrome'd out .38 hot like the summerWalk up on you, whiskey, mask and pumpAnd fire them shots just like I'm Donald TrumpBig ass pistol got me walkin' and I'm limpin'Fuck you and fuck your clique, anybody can get itDon't do all that talkin', nigga, let's shoot to the finishThey won't find your body, and I won't leave a witness

The first leak from Capital STEEZ's upcoming posthumous album King Capital, produced by The Entreproducers. STEEZ flows naturally over a summery beat laced with bird song, spitting vivid, multisyllabic verses filled with diverse references ranging from The Wizard Of Oz to electromagnetic space.

Tracks like this make us miss Steelo even more. Can you dig it?

[Verse 1]It don't make no senseTell me how you make up a set but not make a percent?I bet a lot of people think I'm upsetBut I ain't playin' defenseI'm more playin' the cut and duct-tapin' ya ventsWe cuttin' off ya breathin' supplyThey say I've got a greedy mind with the green in my eyesIt's the fire that keeps a lot of people inspiredI can't lie, it's America I need to surviveThe Wizard of Oz - tryna live my life behind the plasmaElectromagnetic space started clashin'Road to gold, got me caught up with the staticAnd we blowin' out smoke like ectoplasmI told her make the neck romanticMove like the Phantom when we shift through ManhattanMy slimes caught a airplane now we radioactiveWe comin' for New York like the Jets did to Madden

This week, Bobby Ray flipped Lil Wanye, Drake and Future's "Love Me" single into something far more substantial. A confessional of sorts, he vividly reflects on his poor, dysfunctional upbringing and the struggle to make a living from his passions. He explores self-doubt, depression and suicide while also touching on the expectations of the industry and American society in general.

Thoughts on this one? How does it compare to the original song?

[Verse 1]Time and time again, I ask myself "who's listening?" Who feels my pain, who feels my thoughts?Who's on the road that I'm travelling? But I can't complain, these are just my wordsYou would feel the same if you was in my skin, if you was in my shoesIf you went all the days that I went struggling and hustlingIf you spent all the nights that my momma criedThose endless nights, those weary eyesEveryone in the house would just fuss and fightFlipping over furniture, grabbing knives We'd call the cops, here they come again All the things in life I couldn't comprehendWe ignored our problems, we'd just pretend That they wasn't there, like they didn't existIn Eastside Decatur our situation made us React the the way that we didAll the nights that we had to freeze"Oh no, huddle up, here comes the wind!"On a stormy night in a flooded houseI can still hear the raindrops pourin' in... And they pourin' in, it's pourin' inI can still hear the raindrops pourin' in...

This week saw Snoop Dogg returning to form on the first leak from The LA Leakers' upcoming Mental $tates project, dropping next month. Tha Doggfather gives us a faded tour of his native Long Beach, California, soundtracked by a smooth instrumental from Cardo. Although he does sing a bit, there's no sign of the lion here.

It's starting to look like Snoop's rasta reincarnation may have just been a phase, and we're not complaining.

Read an excerpt below, and let us know what you think of the cut.

[Verse 1]

I'm an Eastside rider, I was born to rollNever tell to be told, never sell to be soldOn the level, what a rebel, boy, I stay in control And I'mma let you ride with me so you can see how it goesAnd we'll hit the track and let you peep out some hoesAnd if you like what you see, and you agree with meThen you enjoy my perspective of the LBCKick back and roll up, and mix the Henny with the sodaWe ridin' like we flyin' through the system of solarAnd the aroma of doja, the atmospherin' we hearin' Since I'm the driver I'm ridin' with rear-end super suspension The misson can't be completed 'til you get that vibeNow you're mobbin' to the beat on the passenger side

A new cut from NYC DJ/producer Preservation, featuring frequent collaborator and tour partner Yasiin Bey (Mos Def). The track is a standout from his debut album Old Numbers, which dropped this week. Despite the title, Yasiin doesn't exactly get political or deep on the track. Cool, calculated and slightly braggadocios, he flows soulfully over the classical string-based instrumental.

Can you dig it?

[Verse 1: Yasiin Bey]You see, my swing is super ghetto like a Cutlass SupremeAnd when I'm comin' up your strip, baby, I'm somethin' to seeI got my bass on thunder, sittin' on two-hundredYour baby mama love me, and homie, it's no wonderNow when I'm in the east, them babies know my nameAnd when I'm ridin' on the west, them babies know me the sameAnd when I'm up top, you know I can't stopAnd when I'm in the Dirty Dirty, I get it twerkin', workin'My swing is super ghetto like a Cutlass SupremeA velvet headrest with a couple of screensAnd if you want somethin' funky, then you want it from meBut if you want something ugly, you don't want it from meShit, I could put it there, however niggas want it to beI keep the proof right here if you don't want to believeKeep game in my vein, fuck under the sleeveYou just fuckin' with yourself out here fuckin' with me

Click the badge below to read the hook and second verse:

7.) Honorable Mention: Jay-Z - Dead Presidents III (Full Version)

The original, completed version of Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents III", produced by Young Guru. Cut from his American Gangster album, a snippet of the track showed up on DJ Green Lantern's 2007 mixtape R.O.C. Stars Street Leak: American Gangster, but a full version hadn't been released until now. Hov gave Guru permission to drop the full song during a lengthy Q&A session he hosted on Twitter this week.

Despite Just Blaze's downplaying of the situation, pointing out that the track isn't new but composed of the Green Lantern snippet and the third verse from The Black Album's "Moment of Clarity",many were excited about the track's unearthing.

[Verse 1]While others spit thatWonderama shitMe and my conglomeratesSame crime, bigger trialYa Honor, suck a dickLet me live out my dreamsUntil my heart give outDevour creamYou know exactly what this is aboutFuck y'all mean?Handlin' since a teenLike LeBron or SebastianHigh school graduatesStraight to the leagueI ain't waitin' for my knee to blowYesterday I was needin' this doughGet it, I was kneadin' this doughLong as your math is fastIf your readin' is slowYo, my life ain't rosyBut I roll with itMy mind was fine 'til the dough hit 'itAnd told me that the Mo' did itAnd now it's Kosher, shit is so HasidicI blow a digit on a diamondAt San Tropé visitsAnd won't miss itSo don't twist itYoung is just as niceMore risks than '96, trick!

Click the badge below to read the rest:

8.) No Comment: LeBron James - Niggas In Paris Freestyle

On July 9th, LeBron James posted this brief "freestyle" on Instagram, and there may be a full version on the way. We'll leave the commentary up to all of y'all - let us know what you think.

Stay tuned for next Friday’s Lyrics of the Week, and thanks for joining the discussion.

[Verse 1]Yo, y'all already know what it isIt's the kid, King JamesWanna give a shoutout to the Four HorsemenShoutout to Fab 5Akron, 330Ramos, Mav, and the homie RichJ-time at the HazeldenChillin', thinkin' of a master planBy the time I'm here and the sub blowThe carrier droppin' off another 100 bandsLa Familia over everything

HNHH's Lyrics of the Week breaks down the most noteworthy bars of the past seven days into 8-10 categories that will rotate according to the type of content that drops.

There's quite a bit of repetition in the game these days, and specific lyrics tend to get overlooked. This is an opportunity to take a closer listen and really consider what these artists have to say. We encourage your opinions.

Keep in mind, these are the most noteworthy lyrics of the week, not necessarily the best. Also, it's hard to get everything right - if you notice any errors, don't hesitate to let us know in the comments section. Lines we're not quite sure about will be bolded.

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